


Three Hundred and Sixty-Five

by orphan_account



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-24
Updated: 2015-02-28
Packaged: 2018-03-14 23:46:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3430001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>365 days are enough to change anyone’s world but in the case of Darcy Lewis 365 days might be enough to spin it into the arms of a fallen God. If she isn’t careful however, 365 days might be enough to end everything that she holds dear.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Downfall (Prologue)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Downfall - Matchbox 20

_Come on and lay it down_

_I've always been with you_

_Here and now_

_Give all that's within you_

_Be my savior_

_And I'll be your downfall_

 

If you asked me a year ago where I would be in my life right now, I’d call you an idiot. Mostly because no one ever truly knows where they will be in a year. I mean sure, you could say in five years I want to accomplish so much in my work, in ten years I’d be settled down with a family. You know, the boring stuff? A year isn’t any time at all, 365 days give or take a day or two. Nothing couple possibly happen in that time what so ever.

How was I supposed to know that one year was all it would take, one year to show me the universe beyond all measure. One year in which I would find my heart, and lose it almost as easily. One year to understand more than I could ever hope to understand, see more than I ever wanted to see. Some things that I never wanted to see.

I never thought to be anyone important, I didn’t want to chase the stars, I never wanted to reach for the heavens. I wanted to do the little things, stand in the background of other peoples greatness. I didn’t want to make the changes, I wanted to be those that thought about what _should_ change and how we could go about doing that. The front man could only be that, a front man. In my life my aim was always to be brilliant, sassy but invisible.

But of course I’m getting ahead of myself right now, because to truly understand how I got here, and who I ended becoming, we need to go back to the beginning. Back to the first moment a pair of green eyes would look into my soul and change my very being. Whether that was for the better or not. 

Because my name is Darcy Lewis, Pol Sci graduate student, lab assistant, and all round SHIELD lacky. And if there is nothing else that you take away from my story, then you should simply know this. Today is July 27th 2015, one year to the day since I met the one who would change everything.

And today was the day I died.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not entirely sure where the story is going yet, but I'm very excited because I've been having tasertrick ideas in my head for months. I love so many of the tics here on ao3 that I've been completely inspired! So please enjoy the ride with me.


	2. Lego House

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lego House - Ed Sheeran

July 19th 2014.

Darcy Lewis was annoyed. In fairness it wasn’t that difficult to annoy her, after all without a strong cup of coffee in the morning, quickly followed by at least three more with a lot of sugar, she couldn’t function properly. Hell if it would make it quicker she would gladly allow someone to stick an IV drip in her arm to get the black goodness within her even faster. And no one should even get her started on anyone touching her taser. Stark had tried that once and it did not end well that was for sure, proof that gods and human alike went down like a sack of potatoes.

No she was annoyed simply because she had gotten to work on early for the first time in months, and there was no one in the lab to witness the miracle! She checked her watch again, 11.04am, no sign of Jane or Bruce. The pair of them basically slept here, which made the whole disappearing act even stranger. In fairness Bruce usually had other things to do, but there would be a note or something. And Jane never remembered to go home without her to remind her. She’d already checked the canteen, had called Coulson with no reply, but it was no use.

There wasn’t even any data entry for her to do, the usual scrawls of paper work that both left for her were already completed. Instead she had taken to scrawling doodles on the entry she had already completed. No texts on her phone, and the only other person that she could call was unavailable. She liked Nick Fury, he didn’t beat about the bush, and Darcy could respect that completely. But if he was unavailable, then there was clearly something going down, undoubtedly of the Avengers variety. It just sucked because she never got included on these things.

Jane never used to either, and Darcy sat up straighter for a moment, pen hovering in her hand. It wasn’t the bridge that they were working on, as little as Darcy knew about actual science, she’d been Jane’s intern and then assistant for long enough to know that while they were close, it was still months if not years off of completion. Her whole life was dedicated to that, and Darcy was always by her friends side to ensure eat and sleep was had in the middle of it. No, there could only be one other explanation for it!

“Greetings my dear friend Lady Darcy.” The booming voice that entered the lab caused her to spring up out of her chair, before spinning around. Thor beaming brightly at her, with Jane at his side smiling just as hard. She knew it! How it had taken her three hours to realize something so completely obvious, Darcy didn’t know but she grinned just as hard back at him. “I see that you are as glad to see me, as I am to see you.”

She walked to him and gave his arm a punch, knowing full well it wouldn’t even hurt him a little bit “That big guy is for leaving Jane here worrying about you.” Which was completely true. The whole business in New Mexico, while thrilling to have met actual Viking Gods, left a bitter taste in her mouth when Jane was so broken up over it. “I mean you were here last year, and you didn’t even come in for a cup of coffee.” 

Jane frowned a little and she felt bad. It wasn’t his fault, Darcy knew that of course. She had a younger brother just like him, looking after those that you loved, when they didn’t want to be loved was a hard business. At the end of the day, if Jane was happy then she was happy too. “So are you staying for a bit longer this time? And please note if the answer is no, I will tase you, tie you down and make Jane sit on you until the answer is yes.” She laughed a little at herself, and she saw her friend smile again. That was all that mattered to her.

“Midgard is to be my home for the foreseeable future Lady Darcy. That is, I believe to be here for at least a year.” Well that was fantastic news, but a little out of the blue. Jane never told her a lot of what happened, in her and Thor’s private conversations, but she was a smart girl with a first class political science degree. As far as she could tell Thor needed to be on Asgard, looking after it’s peoples, and ensuring that his brother whether good or bad was also looked after. 

After all she had spent countless nights listening to Jane in the room next door crying softly because she missed the God of thunder standing in front of her. Usually Darcy allowed Jane her privacy, because heart ache was not something anyone else could fix. But some nights, when it was so bad, Darcy would ask no questions and slip into the blankets with her just to give her a hug. Jane was her sister from another mister, and she was glad that she could help in some small way.

“Does that mean everything back home is okay now? With the trial for your brother?” Jane flinched at the word brother, and Thor frowned a little. Loki was obviously a touchy subject, and Darcy sat back down in her chair. She could understand why, the battle of New York destroyed so much, and all the cruel things she had heard Loki had done made her own heart hurt deeply. She had never met him, had only ever seen grainy pictures of him, but at the same time she had always felt sorry for him.

Her own family life had been difficult to say the least. Her younger brother Bennet, yes her mother was an insane Jane Austen fan, had become a drug addict at 15, and by 18 was in jail for grand theft auto. He was only a year younger than her, and it wasn’t the same as countless lives being snuffed out, but Ben had made some terrible life choices. Yes no one had made him, but they had lost their father before Darcy herself had turned five. The string of step fathers that came afterwards, each worse than the one before, didn’t get either of them off in the right direction.

“Well, that is the problem. No one on Asgard could agree to his punishment. Some wanted death, and others wanted him to suffer as those he harmed suffered.” Thor’s frown turned deeper at the words, Jane’s hand clutching his a little tighter in support. “In the end my Mother decided his fate.” She did not know much about Frigga, only what Thor had told him that fateful short time in New Mexico. What she did know of her made Darcy think her a fair woman, who loved both her sons. “His powers have been stripped, his Aesir strength has been taken from him.” 

Darcy blinked at Thor, running the words through her mind. “So what does that mean exactly?” Because it some what sounded like Frigga had turned her son mortal, but wouldn’t leave him more vulnerable, make it so he could die? Surely a mother wouldn’t do that?

“It means he will be a Midgardian, he will learn to become one of a race of people he claims to despise.” The frown was deeper again, and she instantly thought that he had a face that only suited smiling. A sad Thor only made the room dark and cold, when usually it was warm and bright with him in it. Jane turned and gave him a gentle hug, and his spirits lifted slightly. There was love there, no matter how much time had been spent apart. She was glad, they both needed each other, and Darcy decided there and then she would find a way to make sure they stayed together always.

“But how can he be mortal on Asgard, they wont treat him fairly will they?” She had always been one for fairness, and she opened her mouth to argue with him about that, but Thor put a hand on her shoulder to interrupt.

“I think you miss understand Lady Darcy,” this time he smiled, clearly knowing a great secret. Unfortunately the more he smiled, the more Jane began to frown. She was even more confused than ever, and whatever was about to come out of Thor’s lips, Darcy knew she wasn’t going to like. “Loki is to live here, on Earth. He is to spend a week in solitude while your Nick Fury ensures that he is of only human strength as he put it.” The smile on his face began to get even wider, and Darcy’s only stomach dropped a little in worry for what was about to be said next. “And it has all been agreed. Next week he will move in with me, and the lovely Lady Jane has already said that we can both live with her and you Lady Darcy!”

“...what?”


	3. Sharp Knife

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sharp Knife - Third Eye Blind

_July 27th 2014_

Time was unstoppable. It spun through the mind, that clock that counted down the minutes and seconds of a pointless life. Once he had thought himself beyond all of that, a God who’s life was an endless future, careless days and pleasures to disturb the sound constantly ticking by. After all theirs was a life not counted in years, but in the centuries that turned into millennia. He was to be worshipped by those who had almost no time at all.

That had all changed of course, and all the lies upon lies were too much for even one who was master of all deceit. The lies of others, his father, his brother and most importantly the lies of his mother broke the boy inside who had only wanted acceptance. For one who had been so different growing up to everything else that he had known, it should have been so obvious that he did not belong to them. He just hadn’t known how to deal with it and so he had lashed out at everyone trying to make sense of it all. The fall from the bridge should have ended it all.

It only served to make everything worse. Before Thor had set foot on that realm, he could honestly say he had never actually thought that much about it at all. But it was another world that fell to his brothers feet in adoration, more people that loved the golden son. Why couldnt there be something out there for him and him alone, and so he had tried to take what his brother held dear. He had never had designs on taking Midgard for himself, the only throne that he had wanted was Asgard, and even then it wasn’t with as much passion as he had first thought.

But the fall, the graceless decent through the layers of hell, had changed something within him. Taken what was already broken in two to shatter it into a hundred thousand pieces. There could be blame laid at the door of the Other, or even at his master. He could have fort against everything, reject the Chitauri, and reject the Tesseract completely. To the Nine, he could have tricked and cheated his way out of that situation so easily if he had been the same man from before the truth of it all had come out.

Only he wasn’t that man, there was no fight left within him. To be slave to someone else’s desires, someone else’s needs was almost a blessing in disguise. His mind could be shut off from everything except the lies that he held so close in place of a heart that could no longer care. Killing all of those people, bringing on the war that could have destroyed Midgard, quite simply he did not care.

Until Thor had taken a sharp knife and cut loose the strings his puppet master had placed on him. His mind was no longer closed away, and his heart that had left his chest began to hurt and feel again. The pain of everything was so much, too much, and left him even more hollow than before. Because guilt was a feeling that left a person drained, until there was nothing left but the darkness. He would spend the rest of his life with that consuming him, pushing everyone away to keep them safe from what he had become.

He was Loki, God of Mischief and Lies, but the biggest lis he had ever told were to himself. All he had ever wanted was love, acceptance and family. Even when he hadn’t known the truth of things he could honestly say that he had never had those things. Even less so now that the one person who had always been there for him had banished him to this place. Banished to the one realm where his guilt was at its highest point for all that he had done.

Not only banished him, but stripped him of the only things that had made him special to anyone on Asgard. His magic was all he had, and now it was gone. Frigga did not say for how long he would be like this, but the way she cried as she bound the magic with him, as her magic slowly cut away at the time his life could now hold, he didn’t think it could even be returned. There were no rules, no promises that he would be able to redeem himself. This was not the same as when Thor had been banished.

This had seemed so incredibly final. The deed had been done, his father had not even been there to see it happen. Odin was clearly to ashamed of his son, but luckily for him he would not have to call Loki son again. The magic was gone, his immortality with it, and no longer was he a Prince of Asgard. He was a nomad with no home, forced to be locked up in the one place that he did not want to be because it only gave him too much time to think.

“Brother?” Loki’s whole body became frigid as he turned to look to the door. That blasted door that he had for his first two days in this place tried to open. With no magic he could neither teleport himself out of here, nor blast it to nothing. Without his strength, a reinforced steal door was more than a match for him. He had felt weak, pathetic, and it was all of his so called brothers fault. Every time Thor had come here, he would not speak. He knew it could not last, eventually he would need to break his side of the silence, but for now he would cling to it. In a life in which he no longer had any control, it was the only thing that he could control. As stupid as that made him seem.

“Brother you will have to speak to me eventually.” Thor sighed a little, shaking his head in disappointment, but did not force the point as he usually did. Instead Loki looked to his brothers hands, a bag within it. In this prison he had been allowed nothing, and had only been taken out of this room for testing to ensure he was as feeble as he actually was now. Maybe Fury had deemed him worthy of a useless trinket from his brother. “You need to change into these Loki.”

The bag was handed to him, and curiosity was greater than the need for ignoring the demand. Inside was what he could only describe as very Midgardian garb, dark slacks and a t-shirt in his signature colour. There was no way he was going to wear it, so he tossed the bag into the corner not even caring in the slightest when Thor began to frown. His brother picked the bag up again and began to take the clothes out, laying them out on the cot he’d had to call his bed for the past week.

“I know you don’t care for this planet, but we are to live here now. And according to Lady Darcy you can’t blend in well if you look like a New Romantic’s reject.” Thor laughed at that a bit, and patted him him on the shoulder, while Loki could only stare at him in confusion and in slight pain from the pat. Loki didn’t think Thor could actually tone down the force those brotherly displays of affection held, but in his newly weakened state he could feel them more easily than before. “I do not know of what she means by this New Romantics, but my Jane laughed at it, so I believe it to be a bad thing to look like one.”

“Why would I need to blend in, I am in my prison as you and mother wanted.” He spat the words out, not meaning to break his silence but unable to say them either. Brushing the clothes aside, he sat upon the cot, and held his head in his hands. Was this to be his punishment forever? His golden brother always to bother him, nothing but white walls to stare at, the whispers in his head the only friends that he could ever have. How was this fair, why was his entire life cursed? He did not choose to be born a Frost Giant, did not choose to be the prize of war. He did not ask to be told that he was designed for a throne, and at the first chance of taking one be told he was wrong. All his life he had been told he was different, that magic was not for warriors, that he did not look right for an Asgardian. His friends had only been so because of his brother, and the ladies of court had only been kind to him to be in better stead with his mother. Was there no way to get what he wanted, without serving the very few years that he now had left being reminded by the great oaf in front of him that he was only ever second best.

“Loki, my brother, this was only temporary.” Thor sat beside him, and the poor cot groaned under his great weight. It was barely designed for one as tall as Loki, but having both brothers upon it meant it could fail sooner than it should undoubtedly. “You are coming with me. And I shall stay with you on this planet as long as you need me. No matter what you think, you are my brother and I will always be by your side.”

Once again he picked up the clothes, placing them beside Loki again. “Get dressed brother, I’ll be back in an hour and we can go to our new home.” A small smile graced his face and he left the room, once again leaving Loki to his thoughts. It wouldn’t matter where they were, because as soon as he left this room he really would just be second best once more. Nothing could ever change that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this will go back and forth between Darcy and Loki's POV chapter to chapter. It's really working itself out in my head, and it's such fun to write TasterTricks! Feedback is always welcome!


	4. Nobody to Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nobody to Love - Sigma

_27th July 2014_

“Jane what the hell is he going to do for a job?” Darcy sat on the arm of their sofa, her legs nervously jumping around. It had almost been a week since she had learned of Loki’s recent transformation, and his and Thor’s living arrangements. It would be an understatement to say that she wasn’t pissed. Don’t get her wrong, despite the fact Loki was a bit of a crazed God that had taken everything out on Earth she knew he’d need somewhere to readjust to his new life. And yes of course Thor would have to be the one to support him, he loved his younger brother. She might not have met the God of Lies but she knew so much about him through the stories the God of Thunder had shared with them all.

She was more pissed with the fact that no one had actually asked her permission. It was bad enough that over the last week she had heard enough of Thor and Jane the reunion loudly through the walls. She’d give Jane her dues, it was great that someone in the apartment was getting some. Twice. Every night. And once in the morning. Oh and that time she walked in on it in the bathroom. And on the sofa. And her bedroom. Darcy shuddered again at that last one, having to bleach her sheets instantly after that. On top of that Thor ate everything in their house, she’d already done two giant shops this week alone. What if Loki ate exactly the same as his brother!

“There are a few options. He would work with me in the lab for one.” Jane tried to sound optimistic at that but Darcy knew that Jane didn’t hold much love for the fallen God. She’d only agreed to this arrangement to make Thor happy and to keep him close. It was sweet really, and she was all upbeat and positive about it in front of him, but it wouldn’t last forever. “Or he could assist on the Avengers initiative. Thor thinks he might help them with missions and the like. He is apparently very intelligent.”

“That’s about as likely as Tony Stark getting into my pants. Not that he would try, Pepper would kill him.” She grinned at her joke, glad that she amused herself. In all seriousness though she didn’t think either of those options would work. Jane’s work would be a mean reminder of everything he lost, helping Earth make a portal back to a home he could not return to. And after the battle of New York there was too much bad blood between everyone.

“Look he needs to do something, he can’t bum off us for the rest of time itself.” Darcy leaned over and grabbed her cup of coffee before grabbing her purse. “Look I’m going to go to the store again and I’ll make something nice for dinner tonight.” She smiled knowing that Jane couldn’t resist her cooking when she went all out. It was half the reason she suspected the scientist had actually kept her on as a full fledged assistant. it certainly wasn’t for her science ability that was for sure. “Besides unless you are planning on firing me, we don’t need another lab monkey.”

* * *

Darcy was glad it was a Sunday when Loki was moving in. If nothing else it was the one and only day of the week Jane couldn’t be found in the lab. It was also the only day that Darcy went all out with dinner, the left overs usually feeding them for days. That was why she had decided on puttanesca. It was simply, but delicious without too much prep time. More importantly she could make a ton of it quickly to feed two Gods. Assuming the new addition to their little apartment life would even want to eat. Darcy couldn’t really imagine this was going to be a straight forward transition, and after everything she had seen in New Mexico and New York it was obvious there would be tension between the brothers.

That was the other thing troubling her as well. While Jane had been off safe in Norway, Darcy had gone to New York to set up things with Eric. He had gone into SHIELD to help them with their experiments, while she’d been left to procure new lab space. It had confused her at first why Jane had been abroad, but she had soon learnt that it was done by SHIELD on Thor’s orders. It did hurt a little not to be sent as well, her life clearly not as valuable as Jane’s, though she knew it hadn’t been done with vicious intent. She had thought the Destroyer was bad enough, but the things she had seen in the big apple would never leave her. There were certain scars that could never leave a person when they had seen things.

A small shudder ran through her, and she shook her head to clear the images. No point dwelling on something that could not be changed, slowly putting her key in the lock and opening the apartment door. Silence prevailed on the other side, odd considering it was well after 6pm, and she knew full well Thor had gone to pick his brother up first thing this morning. He had been like a kid in a candy store all unconfined excitement. If she hadn’t been annoyed at the whole situation she’d have found it incredibly adorable.

“Anyone home?” Moving to the kitchen she placed the bags on the counter top. A door across the way opened, and she saw Jane poke her head out, an unhappy look marring her features. “By the way you just looked shall I presume it did not go well?” A small sigh escaped her friends lips, making Darcy frown a little in return. Well at least she hadn’t been home to witness the whole sorry business. “I shall russell us up some food then, give me 45 minutes okay? It’ll be the best pasta you’ve had in ages!” Quickly unpacking the bags, she got straight to work knowing that only her apartment famous puttanesca could fix this situation

* * *

“Dinner is ready!” Darcy called from the kitchen as she placed the giant pot of pasta in the middle of the dinning table. She’d even gone a little mad, making her own garlic bread to go with it. She licked her own lips in anticipation, grabbing a bottle of wine as well, uncorking it to give it a few minutes to breathe. Jane and Thor came out of the room quickly, both looking a little disheveled. Ah to be young and in love, it almost made Darcy want a relationship of her own. The only problem of course was that the other person always ended being an idiot.

Naturally however the door to where she presumed Loki was staying remained shut. “I don’t think that my brother will join us tonight Lady Darcy. He is busy.” Thor stared at the door hopefully even as his shoulders showed his defeat. The big guy was trying, had been trying hard with her all week as well even as she sulked. Well there could only be one stroppy cow in this apartment, and Darcy was not going to let it be him.

“Just wait here I’ll get him. Whats the worst he could do anyway?” Without another word, she walked over to the door to open it. Naturally it was locked, but thankfully her brother had shown her the finer arts of a locked door never being locked. Grabbing a pin from her hair, it only took a moment for the mechanism to click out of place and she felt the door slide open. On the otherside the lights were out, and Darcy found herself walking into darkness.

"What do you want?" A voice that seemed to whisper from the shadows graced her ears. It was funny in all the times she had imagined things about Loki a slightly deep English accent wasn't what she had expected. Shivers ran along her spine at it, but she brushed them aside. English accents might be her weakness but he wasn't of this world so it was probably just what her mind wanted to hear.

She reached over and turned the light on so she could better see him. The figure on the bed slowly say up, and Darcy could honesty say for a brief moment her breath left her lungs. It wasn't because he was handsome, which of course he was, classic features and eyes greener than the fields behind her house as she grew up. What took her breath was the fact in those same green eyes she could clearly see he has been crying. If she commented on it she somehow felt it would make the situation in this apartment a thousand times worse, but also she wanted them to get off on the right foot. God knows why, they didn't know eachother and in this situation he was after all the bad guy.

"Look asshat get up and come to dinner. If you don't eat now you don't eat at all." Sarcyness was her go to friend, and without another word she turned and left the room. Well she'd clearly just made a great first impression.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First meeting is off to a start! Next update will be Friday at the earliest. Back to work today! Random days off during the week are never often enough!


	5. Sleep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sleep - Azure Ray

_July 28th 2014_

It was 5am in the morning. At least that was what the device with the large angry numbers told him as he looked over at it. Last night he had barely slept even though it was the first time in well over a year that he had something slightly more comfortable than something rather too solid or too small to sleep on. He had laid in total darkness and it gave him too much time to think, too much time to remember everything that had happened. It made everything feel like it was once again closing in on him, no way out, no freedom but to give in to what was inevitable.

In the end he had gotten up and turned the light on to chase all the shadows away, but that had been a good few hours ago. Turning the light on hadn’t stopped the thoughts, it had just changed their direction. Dinner last night had been such a strange affair, it had been so long since he had sat down with even one other person to share a meal. He wouldn’t have come out if not for the tiny girl speaking such a strange language at him. It intrigued him even while it annoyed him, and Loki was always one to be entertained by such things.

As it turned out, he had become the entertainment. For the first few minutes that he had finally came out of his room everyone sat in complete and utter silence. Jane, the mortal that belonged to his brother, looked incredibly uncomfortable with the whole situation. Thor just kept looking like he was going to say something before shaking his head and eating his dinner. Darcy, as he eventually discovered her name to be, looked at him with an unwavering expression that made him squirm a little in his chair. If he’d had his magic he would have put up an illusion of indifference and in this situation he didn’t know how to cope without his gift.Eventually it was Thor who broke the awkward silence commending Darcy on her cooking skills. “We do not have food like this on Asgard Lady Darcy. What is this dish called so that when I go home I can tell the chefs about it.”

Loki’s stomach dropped like a stone at the mention of home, distracted for long enough that he did not notice the smirk on the girls face as she finished chewing her own mouthful. Thor was the golden son who could go home whenever he wanted. Loki was the bad son who would be stuck in this place forever, relying on the kindness of mortals, however long that could last for. “Well thanks big guy. It’s called whores spaghetti.”

There was silence for a split second before he could only watch in horror as his brother choked on his food, before he spat the whole thing out the entire contents landing on Loki’s face. Bit’s of pasta, olives and tomatoes began to drip down his face onto his lap. Thor looked apologetic while Jane went white in what he could only imagine as fear. He could feel the anger rising up inside, wanting nothing more than to get even with his brother for such a stunt. As he was about to stand he was interrupted by a pearl of laughter to his left.

Everyones eyes snapped to Darcy as she laughed full heartedly, swaying in her chair. “Oh god, your faces!” Her hand thumped hard onto the table, and her own dinner jumped and flipped landing in her own lap. It only served to make her laugh harder, falling backwards in her chair. The pasta went all over her and Darcy just continued to snort. Never had Loki heard someone sound so deranged yet so happy at the same time. The corners of his lips started to turn up and before he could control he, he too had been laughing along with her.

There was a freedom in it. Loki could honestly say he could not remember the last time he had truly laughed. It went through his entire belly and it distracted him from noticing Darcy grabbing a hand full of her fallen dinner, throwing it into his hair. It only took a minute for the whole apartment to have broken into a food fight, even Jane and Thor partaking. The whole tension had broken completely as everyone was now covered completely in tomato sauce, and Loki fell back on to the floor to recover from it all.

It made him think of his childhood with Thor, before they were constantly in competition with each other. And all it had taken was one tiny girl. It hadn’t taken them all long to clean up again and Darcy had soon retreated to bed leaving him alone with his brother and Jane. With her out of the room he felt a little on edge again and it confused him a little. He’d only met the girl a couple of hours ago the entire time she’d actually been rude. But there was something about her.

Now as the clock ticked on by he was looking forward to seeing her again. But dreading what the day would bring. Sulking in this room was the only option that had seemed appealing to him yesterday when he had been forced here. His life had been cut down to a mere 60 more years, hardly any time at all. He didn’t know how the mortals of this planet dealt with it, only imaging that perhaps it was with laughter. He wasn’t better today but after his good laugh nothing felt quite so doom and gloom as it done before. He wanted to see Darcy again, to know if the sensation was a one time thing.

As it turned out by the time he had left the room at 7 Jane and Darcy had already left for the day. He had never spent a day in his life working and on Asgard it wasn’t as if money was really an issue for anyone. Even his brother was getting ready to leave the apartment, so Loki hovered without speaking. It was an odd sensation not having the upper hand in a situation. He knew so little about this world, only how the political systems had worked, and he had only learnt about that so he could take them apart.

“What is wrong brother?” Thor had finished eating his breakfast, and Loki looked at him for a minute. Midgardian clothes on his back, no Mjölnir in sight. It was odd seeing Thor look so human yet look so content. Once so long ago he had been disgusted at the change, had even threatened to harm Jane because of it. It was so long ago, when he had been alienated from even himself. Now he looked at Thor and felt humbled by it, by how much Thor had forgiven him when he had sort to destroy everything he loved.

“Nothing Thor. I just wondered where you were hiding your feathers.” His brother grinned and patted him hard on the back. “Do you really want to get into this cow? Come we can go to see the man of Iron together and I can remind you of how many times you have lost in battle to me.” At the mention of Stark Loki felt his entire demeanor change back once more. It was one thing to gain the forgiveness of Thor, but Stark and the rest of those willing to avenge the Earth where not the top of his to do list. Redemption was not something he wished to go through in front of them. Ever. “That’s okay brother. I shall see you later.” Thor paused for a moment and looked him over. “I am not one of your conquests, do not look at me so.” The God of thunder grinned at him largely, but said nothing before leaving their home.

Silence entered again, and Loki could do nothing but stare at the clock. One prison for another, with nothing to do but think about time. It had been a strange day with no chance once again for sleep. He did not know how he’d last like this for too long. There had to be more than this, broken moments of normality with his brother and perfect strangers before he went back into his own mind. Or was this the true punishment that Frigga was giving him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would just like to say thank you to everyone for their support! It's been so lovely.


End file.
